Attention economy for attention to messages, tasks and resources

ABSTRACT

A centrally tracked artificial currency is provided within the context of an enterprise. This currency serves as a unit of account, medium of exchange, and store of value in a corporate “attention economy.” Users (typically coworkers) in the enterprise are allotted a base number of currency units, which they can earn, exchange, and spend in a variety of ways to signal importance and “purchase” attention of others, or priority for other organization resources. In one aspect, senders of messages can specify an amount of currency to be associated with the message, so that recipients can see the specified amount before deciding whether to read the message. Once such a system is in use, it facilitates exchange of value based on user-created transactions regarding behavior, communication, resources, incentives, and priorities.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application claims priority from the following provisionalpatent applications, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference:

-   -   U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/647,161, filed Jan.        25, 2005, for “Real-World Tasks in a Game Environment”;    -   U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/705,726, filed Aug.        3, 2005, for “Attention Economy”; and    -   U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/752,438, filed Dec.        20, 2005, for “Attention Economy for Attention to Messages,        Tasks and Resources Within and Between Communities of Interest”.

BACKGROUND

In the modern enterprise, information workers are inundated withelectronic information, much of which is unnecessary and undesired. Thisinformation overload occurs because sending electronic information,usually through e-mail, has little cost. In general, each individual inthe enterprise acts in his or her own interest when presented with apublic good or resource, a phenomenon known in economic terms as “theTragedy of the Commons.” The cumulative effect of each person acting intheir individual interest is that the common resource becomes overusedand loses value to the community, as is the case of an overgrazed commonpasture. Thus, workers see the e-mail system as very low cost way ofgetting other's attention, regardless of the significance of theircommunication to others. As a result, most workers receive excessiveamounts of e-mail from their coworkers (and from others), informing themof perhaps trivial developments. The attention of an organization'semployees is a vital resource that has suffered from overuse due to theessentially unlimited availability of electronic mail. In addition tothe problem of commercial spam, many information workers are overwhelmedby the volume of corporate spam: messages from within their ownorganization.

A system that allows a sender to signal the importance of an e-mail tothe recipient is desired. Current systems do not address the Commonsproblem because the signals that are available (e.g., priority flags) donot impose a cost on the sender, and so the weight of their signal losesimpact over time. In other words, the state of being flagged as apriority in current systems also carries little information to therecipient because it imposes no cost on the creator. Filters andintelligent agents have been proposed to deal with email overload butrequire a high level of user maintenance and cannot take intoconsideration the psychology of interpersonal relationships.

Resources other than an individual's attention within an organizationare allocated by various mechanisms, many of which fail to operateefficiently. Important projects requiring use of a limited resource maywait in line behind low-priority ones because there is often no queuingmechanism other than first-come-first-serve, or based on othermanagement policies. There is a need for a system that instantiates amore effective allocation mechanism based on the objective function ofthe organization. In short, a system that allows an individual to makedemands on organization resources appropriate to his or her estimationof the possible gains for the organization would allow for increasedefficiency and progress toward organization goals.

What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that allows or forcesa sender of a message to reliably indicate the priority level of amessage. The intended recipient can use these value-laden signals tothen determine how much attention to devote to the message.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the techniques of one embodiment, a centrally trackedartificial currency is provided within the context of an enterprise.This currency serves as a unit of account, medium of exchange, and storeof value in a corporate “attention economy.” Alternatively, a currencycan be used to measure, exchange, and reward behavior and otherattributes of action in an enterprise. Users (typically coworkers) inthe enterprise are allocated, by some method, a number of currency units(also referred to herein as “Serios”), which they can earn, exchange,and spend in a variety of ways to signal importance and “purchase”attention of others, or priority for other organization resources. Forexample, senders of email messages (or other types of message) canallocate a number of currency units to their messages. Recipients candecide whether or not to look at messages based, at least in part, onthe number of currency units allocated to the messages. Recipients caneven configure their email clients to filter out messages that havefewer than a designated number of currency units.

In one embodiment of the invention, currency allowance and exchange isprocessed through a central bookkeeping server that keeps track of alltransactions and balances of individual workers. The currency can alsobe used by individuals to purchase, bid for, or use desired resourcesand assets within the organization, including, for example, theattention or time of other individuals, data, services, tools, andspace. The currency can also be used when individuals interact with acomputer or programs running on the computer or as part of theinformation exchanged between many computers even when an individual isnot involved

In one embodiment, the mechanisms through which currency is earned andspent can be carefully observed and engineered to drive desiredbehavior. In this embodiment, a system that creates liquidity of assetsand currency allows for emergent behaviors to arise, which mayultimately benefit the organization when the organization's performancemanagement systems have aligned individual with organizational objectivefunctions. In this fashion, currency exchange becomes a voting mechanismby which individuals indicate relative value of the organization'sresources, reflected in the resulting price, in that currency, of goodsand services. Those skilled in the art will recognize that thisinvention can be used with filters and agent-based systems for managingelectronic communication.

The present invention thus provides the following advantages:

-   -   Gives message senders a way to attach value to a message where a        cost is imposed on the sender;    -   Gives message recipients a way to sort and/or filter messages        based on value attached by senders;    -   Gives users (and administrators) a way to view their balance and        the flow of value received and sent.    -   Establishes a currency to support markets for corporate and        other resources

The features and advantages described in this summary and the followingdetailed description are not all-inclusive. Many additional features andadvantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in viewof the drawings and specification hereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate several embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a screen shot depicting an example of a user interface for ane-mail client according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a screen shot depicting an example of a user interface elementfor specifying a number of currency units to be allocated for an e-mailmessage.

FIG. 3 is a screen shot depicting a drop-down menu for specifying anumber of currency units to be allocated for an e-mail message.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a system architecture and messagetrace according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting message flow architecture accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a screen shot depicting an example of a composition window foran e-mail client user interface according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 is a screen shot depicting an example of an alternative userinterface element for specifying a number of currency units to beallocated for an e-mail message.

FIG. 8 is a screen shot depicting an example of a user interface forpresenting account information for a single user according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a screen shot depicting an example of a user interfaceincluding a representation of a minimized application for managingcurrency units.

FIG. 10 is a screen shot depicting an example of a graphicalrepresentation of communication and behavior patterns based on currencyexchange data, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a screen shot depicting an example of a dialog box indicatingthat a sender does not have enough currency units to perform a requestedtransaction.

FIG. 12 is a screen shot depicting an example of a display showing thenumber of currency units allocated to each recipient of a message.

FIG. 13 is a screen shot depicting an example of a dialog box indicatinga total number of currency units to be charged for a message to a groupof recipients.

FIG. 14 is a screen shot depicting an example of an alert box showingreal time receipt of currency units.

FIG. 15 is a screen shot depicting an example of an email messageincluding an indication of a number of currency units associated withthe message.

FIG. 16 is a screen shot depicting an example of a list of emailmessages in an inbox, sorted by ascending currency units.

FIG. 17 is a screen shot depicting an example of a menu for accessingfunctions of a desktop application for managing currency units.

One skilled in the art will recognize that these Figures are merelyexamples of the operation of the invention according to variousembodiments, and that other architectures and modes of operation can beused without departing from the essential characteristics of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of the description provided herein, the term “Serios” isused interchangeably with “currency units.” For illustrative purposes,the following description sets forth the invention in terms of anattention economy currency; however, one skilled in the art willrecognize that the present invention can be practiced with other typesof currency, other media of exchange, and/or tangible or non-tangiblerepresentations of value to an individual in an organization. Forillustrative purposes, the following description sets forth theinvention in terms of an information worker in a corporate environment;however, the invention can be used in connection with individuals inother environments communicating over any medium.

Software System

In one embodiment, the present invention is implemented as asoftware-based system that has the following attributes and features:

-   Participation is by invitation from one individual to another and    may be voluntary.-   The invitation offers a downloadable plug-in for email clients that    facilitates sending, receiving and keeping track of currency units.-   A bookkeeper establishes and maintains a collection of user accounts    and facilitates transactions between them.-   Users may earn rewards and reputation through individual or    collaborative team tasks, and/or valuable exchange of currency    units.-   Users may view higher order metadata analysis of their transactions.

The email client plug-in has the following features:

-   -   Permits easy attachment of currency units during outgoing        message composition via a user interface, as described below.    -   Transmits currency exchange data to the bookkeeper, as described        below.    -   Displays the number of currency units attached to incoming mail        in a field that can be used to sort and/or filter items in the        inbox, as described below.    -   Displays the user's current currency unit balance from the        bookkeeper server, as described below.

As described in more detail below, the bookkeeper has the followingfeatures:

-   -   Ability to securely authenticate, record, and store new user        account and registration information.    -   Secure communication to receive information on currency        exchanges among participants.    -   Secure website for participants to view their income statement        and balance of trade with others in currency units.

Presentation of metadata on the currency units and exchanges, includinganalytics and graphical presentation of social metrics and econometricsthat characterize the attention economy at the enterprise. Referring nowto FIG. 4, there is shown a block diagram depicting a systemarchitecture and message trace for implementing the present inventionaccording to one embodiment. Sender 401 interacts with e-mail client 403to send an e-mail message (or other type of message), addressed torecipient 402. E-mail server 405 handles the processing of e-mailmessages and routes the message to e-mail client 404 associated withrecipient 402. Bookkeeper 406 and repository 408 are used for managingthe attention economy currency and transactions, as will be described inmore detail below.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, currency is usedas a means to value an electronic message's importance; a sender 401determines how much he or she wishes to spend in an effort to purchasethe recipient's 402 attention. Senders 401 of messages (such as e-mail,Instant Messages, SMS Text, or the like) can choose to attach thesecurrency units to a message as an indicator of the message's relativeimportance. The number of currency units a sender 401 can attach isconstrained by the number in his or her account and by sender's 401desire to pay for others' attention to a particular message. Sender 401may specify the number of units to be spent via any user interfacemechanism, including for example drop-down menus, text input boxes, orother convenient means. For messages having multiple recipients 402, adifferent number of units can be allotted to each recipient 402, ifdesired. In one embodiment, a transfer is made of that number of unitsfrom sender's 401 account to each recipient's 402 account. The transfercan take place in response to any trigger event concerning the message,including for example:

-   -   when sender 401 sends the message;    -   when recipient 402 receives the message;    -   when recipient 402 reads the message;    -   when recipient 402 acknowledges the message; and/or    -   when recipient 402 performs some task associated with the        message.

One skilled in the art will recognize that other trigger events can alsobe used.

In one embodiment, different amounts of currency can be specified fordifferent trigger events. For example, one unit can be transferred uponsending, and another three units can be transferred when recipient 402reads the message. Sender 401 of the message can specify the triggerevents and the number of units for each trigger event.

In one embodiment, currency is transferred to central repository 408, orremoved from circulation altogether, rather than being transferred torecipient 402. In yet another embodiment, some portion of the currencyis transferred to central repository 408, or removed from circulationaltogether, and the remaining amount is transferred to recipient 402. Inthis latter embodiment, the amount that is not transferred to recipient402 can be referred to as a tax or a toll. Currency can be unifiedacross organizations, if desired, so that one organization recognizesthe currency and transactions managed by a bookkeeper of anotherorganization.

In one embodiment, transfers are made by bookkeeper 406, which functionsas an intermediate administrator. In one embodiment, bookkeeper 406 isimplemented as a collection of computer executable modules, executing one-mail server 405 or on another server (not shown). Bookkeeper 406manages transactions of currency from one user to another (i.e. betweensender 401 and receiver 402), as well as with repository 408. Uponreceiving a message, recipient 402 can see sender's 401 assessment ofthe message's significance in terms of the number of units of currencyattached to the message, as well as the units credited to his or her ownaccount. The attached currency units will be transferred to recipient402, whether recipient 402 decides to read the message or not. Inanother embodiment, the recipient 402 may not receive the currency untilthey open the email or act on some other trigger event.

Sender 401 will understand that a given recipient 402 will evaluate theimportance of his or her message on several factors in addition to thenumber of units attached, including but not limited to sender's 401name, subject, other recipients 402, and title of any attachments.

In one embodiment, bookkeeper 406 disburses currency to users, and isthe mechanism through which transactions occur. Bookkeeper 406 is alsocapable of performing or assisting with statistical analysis based ontransaction information and making this information visible to users.Bookkeeper 406 is adapted to disburse currency to users on any periodic(e.g., weekly) or event-driven basis.

Recipients 402 may also reply to messages with currency attached, whererecipient 402 is using some portion of their currency balance to signalsender 401 the value recipient 402 placed on the original message or toconvey appreciation or reward. If desired, a default number of currencyunits can be allocated to a reply (as specified in the user'spreferences), although recipient 402 can modify this amount as desiredfor a particular reply. Used in this way, the system could deliverquantitative feedback to the originator and information to the communityon the usefulness of communication between individuals.

When an e-mail is forwarded to other recipients, currency units can beallocated in the same way as a new message.

Currency is used as a signal of value understood by both sender 401 andrecipient 402, where value is an indicator of importance, credibility,and priority. Recipient 402 can judge the message's value based onsender's 401 expenditure of a limited resource. Recipient 402 is able tocompare the relative importance of various messages based on thesecriteria.

One way the value of currency units can be established is by allowingindividuals to communicate “private treaty transactions” to bookkeeper406 in which the units are exchanged for goods and service other thanattention to messages. For example, using Serios, a manufacturingmanager may “bid for” or “purchase” a serial position in any queuerelated to a scarce resource, such as time on a testing machine.Alternatively, the corporation may offer a perquisite, such as apreferred parking spot or time with the boss, for a number of currencyunits. Prizes can be auctioned or sold for currency units bysupervisors, team leaders, or anyone in the organization to establishvalue for the currency or take units of currency out of the system.Currency exchange between individuals may emerge as a result of usingthis system. Financial services such as banking, currency exchange,lending, insurance, and futures markets may be facilitated by bookkeeper406.

The invention is described herein, for illustrative purposes only, as ane-mail and/or desktop application that has or facilitates client-serverinteraction. A central or distributed server communicates with a desktopapplication that facilitates accounting when clients 403, 404 exchangeelectronic mail. In another embodiment, the architecture is based onpeer-to-peer communication, rather than relying upon a central server.In another embodiment, a plug-in or add-on could be embedded withine-mail clients 403, 404 themselves rather than existing as anindependent piece of software.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention canalso be implemented in connection with other communication media,including but not limited to: e-mail; instant messaging;telephone/voice; voice mail; voice transmitted over the Internet; papercorrespondence; fax; telegraph; via mobile devices like mobile phonesand personal data assistants; web-based mail; forums and message boards;internet relay chat; real time website-enabled chat; online shoppingportals; to purchase, bid for, or give feedback regarding websiteresources and content; as a component in a platform or browser system;publishing systems such as wikis and blogs; in virtual worlds orenvironments; in games, including but not limited to electronic games,board games, and live action games; in face-to-face meetings via tokensor informal records, and the like, or any combination thereof.

Architecture

Messaging Client 403, 404

In one embodiment, client 403, 404 is an email software clientprogrammed with particular features that facilitate implementation ofthe present invention or may be an already existing e-mail clientproduct such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, Netmail, Eudora Pro, orMozilla Thunderbird with customized add-ons that help provide thefunctions described herein. Client 403, 404 may be a software processother than an email system, such as a collaboration environment, groupshareware, and enterprise software, including for example enterpriseresource planning (ERP) software, customer relationship management (CRM)software, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, and workflowmanagement systems. Client 403, 404 may be a standalone application thatperforms standard message sending and receiving functions, whichinterfaces with a separate desktop application that bridgescommunication between client 403, 404 and bookkeeper 406 server. At themost basic level, client 403, 404 remains a tool for users to check andsend electronic messages. It can include any of the following features,or it can communicate with a separate application that performs thefollowing tasks: organizational features for scheduling, task-keeping,calendars, address books, contact lists, groupware, group collaborationtools, features to accommodate the receiving and display of news items,and organization and display features for media such as photographs,digital images, video, audio, and web pages. In addition, it may haveadditional features to accommodate web logs (“blogs”) or journals, RSSfeeds, character, avatar, or profile information, a bank accountsummary, text-based chat, voice over IP, corporate tasks and projects,markets, milestones, maps, search, language tools, news, audio, video,digital media, navigation tools, two-dimensional or three-dimensionalgraphical user interfaces and/or worlds, where the world is acomputer-simulated environment in which users may interact with others,explore, socialize, achieve, compete, and perform tasks. Additionalcustomizable add-ons or programmable modules to the message client canbe swapped or installed. In one embodiment, this invention operates in aweb-enabled environment where messages and currency transactions areinitiated and recognized via a web browser or other thin client.

Client 403, 404 may be web-based, and will assume the same genericfunctionality as a software client 403, 404 counterpart even thoughimplementation details may differ.

In one embodiment, client 403,404 is able to communicate directly withbookkeeper 406 and access the user's account summary, which can displayhis or her currency balance and income statement. In another embodiment,client 403, 404 can communicate with a separate desktop application thatmediates transactions between client 403, 404 and bookkeeper 406. In anycase, currency that is spent or received can be immediately updated inreal time to reflect an accurate account statement. It is also possiblefor users to access and view, in real time, lists of people who havecredited currency units to themselves or others.

In one embodiment, a user can have more than one account. For example,he or she can have a different account for each of his or her emailaddresses or other handles for communication means.

As is well known in the art of message client software, users are ableto sort and organize their messages based on several fields. In the caseof email, these include the date received, sender 401 name, messagesubject, and priority flags, for example. Users are able to select whichfields are visible, in what order they appear, and how messages aresorted based on those fields. According to one embodiment of theinvention, an additional field is provided in the user interfacepresentation of an e-mail inbox (and in the user interface presentationof individual e-mail messages) that displays the number of currencyunits attached to a particular message.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an example of the user interface100 for such a Client 403, 404. The user interface 100 here illustratesthe e-mail inbox. Columns are illustrated indicating sender 101, subject102, received timestamp 103, and “Serios” 104 (In this figure andothers, the units of currency are called “Serios”though any other namemay be used as well.) The “Serios” column 104 indicates the number ofcurrency units attached to the message. As with other fields, users cansort their messages by the number of units. Unlike other fields (e.g.,priority), this value represents a valuation made by sender 401 on theimportance of the message: a value that carries with it a correspondentcost to sender 401 and benefit to recipient 402. In the upper right handcorner is displayed the user's current currency balance 105, again inSerios.

Referring also to FIG. 16, there is shown an example of user interface100 wherein messages are sorted according to the number of currencyunits 104 attached to each message. One skilled in the art willrecognize that user interface 100 can also filter messages according tothe number of currency units, so that messages having fewer than somespecified amount are not shown, or are moved to a different folder orwindow.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there are shown screen shots depictingan example of an email composition window 200 including a mechanism,such as a drop-down menu or text input box, for specifying the number ofcurrency units to be assigned to an email message. In FIG. 2, next toeach recipient name 201 is a drop down menu element 202, which appearsin the figure as a small triangle. Clicking on menu element 202 causesdrop-down menu 301 to appear, as shown in FIG. 3. Drop-down menu 301enables sender 401 to specify the number of currency units to beprovided to the specific recipient 402 by selecting among the variousvalues shown in menu 301. In one embodiment a text input box 302 alsoappears, allowing sender 401 to type in a value rather than selectingone from menu 301. Thus, sender 401 can differentially price the messageaccording to recipient 402, paying a higher price in a bid for theattention of particular individuals (e.g., the CEO). Client 403, 404performs necessary credit checks, through means of communication withbookkeeper 406, to ensure adequate funds exist for sender 401 to attacha requested number of units. If sender 401 attempts to allocate morecurrency units than are available, an error message is displayed.Referring also to FIG. 11, there is shown an example of a dialog box1101 showing an error message 1102 indicating that sender 401 hasattempted to allocate more currency units than are available.

In one embodiment, for e-mails with multiple recipients, a menu element202 appears for each recipient 402. Sender 401 can thereby specify anumber of currency units for each recipient 402. If currency units areadded to the last recipient 402 on the list, the designated amount isused for all recipients 402. Referring also to FIG. 12, there is shownan example of an email message composition window 200 wherein differentnumbers of currency units 1202 are shown alongside different recipientnames 201.

For mailing lists, a single currency unit allocation can be specified.This currency unit allocation is then used for each member of the list.In one embodiment, a calculation is performed to determine the totalnumber of currency units, and sender 401 is given an opportunity toconfirm that he or she is willing to expend the total as shown.Referring also to FIG. 13, there is shown an example of an email messagecomposition window 200 wherein a sender 401 has indicated a mailing list1303 as recipient. Dialog box 1301 includes a message 1302 informingsender 401 of the total number of currency units that will be charged.Sender 401 can click on OK button 1304 to proceed, or Cancel button 1305to cancel.

In one embodiment, once currency units are allocated for recipients 402,the number of currency units allocated is displayed in parenthesis nextto each recipient's 402 name or e-mail address.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown an alternative example of acomposition window 600 in which toolbar buttons 601, 602, 603 areprovided for adding currency units to a message, determining theassigned number of currency units, and checking sender's 401 accountbalance, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there an example of an alternative userinterface element 700 for specifying a number of currency units to beallocated for an e-mail message. Here, the user can see and/or specifyaddressees for an e-mail message, including “To” addressees 701, “cc”addressees 702, and “bcc” addressees 703. In each section, the user cansee and/or specify the addressee's name 704 and email address 705, andcan see and/or specify the number of currency units 706 to be allocatedfor each addressee.

In one embodiment, whenever an individual receives currency units (forexample, by having received or read a message that has currency unitsattached), the recipient of the currency units is alerted as to thetransaction. For example, an alert box may appear on the individual'sscreen, stating “John Smith has sent you 20 Serios”. Referring also toFIG. 14, there is shown an example of user interface 100 including alertmessage 1401 informing recipient 402 that he has received Serios. In oneembodiment, individuals can configure their systems so as to specifywhether and how to receive such alerts.

In one embodiment, when recipient 402 opens or views an e-mail messagethat includes currency units, the number of currency units is displayedin or alongside the window containing the e-mail message. Referring alsoto FIG. 15, there is shown an e-mail message display window 1500including an indication of the number of currency units 1501 allocatedto the e-mail message.

Referring again to FIG. 4, there is shown a message trace for theprocess of sending a message from a sender 401 to a recipient 402 in oneembodiment. When sender 401 indicates that an email message is to besent, e-mail client 403 sends the appropriate information to e-mailServer 405 (arrow #1). In one embodiment, one copy of the electronicmessage containing a set of information is forwarded by e-mail server405 to bookkeeper 406 (arrow #2) while the original is forwarded to thee-mail client 404 of recipient 402 (arrow #3). The copy of the messagesent to bookkeeper 406 may or may not include the content or body orsubject line of the e-mail message (e.g., it may be a header only). Inone embodiment, only the requisite information for Bookkeeper 406functions is sent to bookkeeper 406: namely, the number of currencyunits being exchanged, and the source and destination of the currencyunits, and optionally security information, such as hash, signature, orother authentication token. Communications may take place over a securedata channel, and/or the message body or other e-mail data may beencrypted, to facilitate transfer for bookkeeper 406 functions whileprotecting privacy. The transaction data is sent to repository 408 bybookkeeper 406 (arrow #4), where the account information for all partiesis updated in the database, and sent back to bookkeeper 406 (arrow #5).Bookkeeper 406 routes a message to the e-mail client 403 of sender 401(arrow #6) and to the e-mail client 404 of recipient 402 (arrow #7). Theaccount information for each party is updated within their respectiveclients 403, 404. These additional messages may be displayed or they maybe hidden from the users.

Desktop Application

In one embodiment, a desktop software application can exist tofacilitate communication between clients 403, 404 and bookkeeper 406.The desktop application can be downloaded and installed separately fromclients 403, 404, or it can be bundled with clients 403, 404. Its corefunctionality is to serve as a bridge between any client application403, 404 (including such things as, but not limited to, e-mail clients,instant messaging clients, voice over IP software, collaborationsoftware, telephone) and bookkeeper 406. For illustrative purposes, thedesktop application is described herein as it would interface with anexisting messaging or publishing client 403, 404 such as MicrosoftOutlook, LotusNotes, Netmail, Thunderbird, wiki, website, etc. and thelike. It is also possible that the desktop application can communicatedirectly with other desktop applications running on another user'smachine. In one embodiment, the desktop application may send informationabout currency units associated with a particular message and it mayalso collect and forward information regarding messages sent withoutcurrency and other information about messaging behavior such as responsetime to reply. Any of the functionality of the desktop application canalternatively be provided by a server on a website, with the desktopapplication providing access to the website server. Alternatively, thedesktop functionality can be provided by software on a PDA or othercomputing device. The desktop application can be set to automaticallylaunch when a user opens his or her e-mail client 403, 404 or associatedclients.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of message flow for a desktop-basedimplementation. Each numbered item in this description corresponds withthe number labeled in FIG. 5:

1. The E-mail client 403 sends an e-mail message to e-mail server 405.An appropriate number of currency units are associated with the e-mailmessage.

2. The E-mail client 403 notifies separate desktop application 503Arunning at sender's 401 machine of the number of currency units (Serios)to be increased or decreased, and to whom the currency is to bedelivered. Desktop application 503A keeps a local copy of the totalcurrency balance for the user.

3. Desktop application 503A sends an encrypted message to bookkeeper 406instructing bookkeeper 406 to update repository 408 accordingly.

4. Bookkeeper 406 keeps the message in a queue waiting for acorresponding message to arrive from recipient's 402 desktop application503B.

5. When both messages have arrived, bookkeeper 406 updates repository408 for sender 401 and recipient 402. This includes adding SENT andRECEIVED records, updating the number of currency units for sender 401and recipient 402, and deleting the pending transaction. In analternative embodiment, only one of the two messages is needed before anupdate proceeds.

6. Bookkeeper 406 retrieves the new total number of currency units foreach user from repository 408 and sends an encrypted message via ane-mail protocol or other message type to the recipients' 402 desktopapplication 503B. Bookkeeper 406 may communicate via messages with eachof the desktop applications 503A, B as needed to maintain accuracyand/or synchronization. When selected by the user, users may see anoptional pop-up box that notifies them of a change in their accountbalance.

7. When the next e-mail is created by sender 401, client 403 checksdesktop application 503A to make sure there are enough currency unitsavailable to perform the selected transfer.

This embodiment can be built such that other users may utilizeapplication programming interface (APIs) and software development kits(SDKs) to develop additional software modifications on top of desktopapplications 503A, 503B to enhance the user experience, skill set, orperformance. As a primary feature of the invention, a platform of toolsand code will give other users the building blocks on which to programtheir own add-ons, analysis tools, and integration pieces to enablecurrency exchange on applications. These modifications could includesimple alterations, such as a way to change the client's user interfacevia a “skin,” or something more complex, such as integration ofattention economy currency with an external auction market like eBay.

E-Mail Server

In one embodiment, e-mail server 405 is implemented using a commone-mail server product such as Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Domino. It hasthe capability to deal with different e-mail protocols, such as POP andIMAP, for example. E-mail server 405 may reside within theorganization's firewall or be located externally but still be able tocommunicate effectively for performing requisite tasks. If server 405 islocated outside the organization's internal network, special measurescan be taken to protect the content of organization-specific e-mail toensure compliance with security standards. In order to facilitatecommunication with or independent of email server products, theinvention provides for assignment of currency and its recognition viaweb-based interfaces such as webmail.

In one embodiment, desktop applications 503A, 503B can also provideinformation regarding users' currency accounts. Referring now to FIG. 8,there is shown a screen shot illustrating an example of a displayshowing such information. This user interface includes accountinformation for a particular individual, including (but not limited to)currency exchange, balances, analysis of currency trades (amount sentand received “today,” over a partial or set period of time, and“lifetime”), and personal information, as well as deeper analysis of auser's role or behavior based on currency usage (such as pie charts801).

Additional information and reports can also be provided. For example,FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a graphical representation 1000 ofcommunication and behavior patterns based on currency, according to oneembodiment.

Desktop application 503 can perform such functions as maintaining alocal cache of the total currency account balance per user and providingcommunication with the e-mail client 403, 404 to determine how manycurrency units are available for outgoing e-mail messages. Informationin the desktop application can be represented in a variety of textual,graphical, and interactive ways that ultimately reflect a user's accountstatus or balance, as well as serve as a communication hub between theuser and other members using the invention.

Desktop application 503 can be accessed, for example via the Windowstaskbar or system tray for Windows operating system users. Referring nowto FIG. 9, there is shown an example of minimized icon 900 for thedesktop application 503, as may be displayed on a screen in theMicrosoft Windows operating system. Referring also to FIG. 17, there isshown an example of menu 1701 that appears when the user clicks onminimized icon 900. Menu 1701 provides access to various functions andcommands associated with desktop application 503.

Bookkeeper 406

In one embodiment, bookkeeper 406 is implemented as a server forhandling currency transactions. Accordingly, bookkeeper 406 updatesrepository 408 in accordance with e-mails it receives from users' e-mailclients 403. It extracts the relevant information from incoming e-mailmessages, including who sent how many units to whom, and at what time,and the like. It records this information in repository 408. In oneembodiment, repository 408 is implemented as a database containingtransactions and balances. In one embodiment, bookkeeper 406 alsoupdates and maintains a web-accessible version of repository 408, whichallows users to access their balances, transaction histories, and viewdata on other users' activities. From here, a user can compare his orher own activities to others, or he/she can look up information about anindividual, a team, or a project of interest. In this capacity,bookkeeper 406, or a separate application using data collected bybookkeeper 406, performs certain analyses on the data it collects, andmakes the results of those analyses available to users. Some of thesedata analyses can include account balance summaries, number of messagessent and received (volume), number of messages sent between specificindividuals or groups (balance of trade), the number of messages withoutcurrency attached sent over a period of time, the highest amount ofunits given to or received from a certain individual, etc.

In one embodiment, bookkeeper 406 includes administration functions thatallow the authentication, registration, modification, and deletion ofusers. In one embodiment, bookkeeper's 406 responsibilities regardingthe addition of a user consists of creating a new entry in therepository, updating it to include currency given to new users (if any),and sending out an invitation e-mail to that user. Deleting a userconsists of a notification or confirmation e-mail being sent, as well asmaking the necessary changes to repository 408.

In one embodiment related to the registration and creation of useraccounts, it is possible for users to associate one or more messagingaccounts with one or more currency accounts, where each currency accountcan be used for different purposes with features toggled on or off, andcan be accessed via different media. For example, a person could createan Account A that allows currency exchange via devices like instantmessenger, voice over IP, and on a mobile phone, while Account B is onlyenabled to exchange currency over email and webmail clients.

Bookkeeper 406 may reside within an organization's firewall or belocated externally, but still be able to communicate effectively forperforming requisite tasks. Bookkeeper 406 may communicate directly withdesktop applications 503A, 503B to facilitate information transactionsbetween the clients 403, 404 and bookkeeper 406, or bookkeeper 406 maycommunicate directly with clients 403, 404.

Repository

In one embodiment, repository 408 is a database that contains records ofall users, and their transactions within the system. It includes userinformation, such as name, e-mail, and account number, as well asinformation about each transaction that has occurred in the system.Bookkeeper 406 has access to repository 408 so that it can process usertransactions. As above, various embodiments provide for an interfacethat allows users to view information stored in repository 408. In oneembodiment, repository 408 is accessed by a web interface that allows auser to view his or her currency balance, transactions, and statisticaldata aggregated by bookkeeper 406. Optionally, a user interface isprovided to enable a user to see his or her currency balance in relationto and relative standing with others, such as across the entireenterprise, within their department, or with respect to any othercorporate designation or organizational framework. For certain users(e.g., administrators, managers, executives), reporting information suchas currency usage patterns (e.g., currency usage by department, team,individual, project, etc.), trends (currency usage over time), and thelike are provided using database and statistical reporting tools.Repository 408 may reside within the organization's firewall or belocated externally, but still be able to communicate effectively forperforming requisite tasks.

Additional Features and Variations

One skilled in the art will recognize that the above description setsforth an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and that manyvariations and/or additional features can be provided without departingfrom the essential characteristics of the invention. The followingfeatures and variations are intended to serve as examples forillustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of thedescribed invention. One skilled in the art will further recognize thatany or all of the variations and features discussed herein, and othervariations and features, may be implemented either alone or in anycombination with one another.

Distribution of Currency Units

Allowances of currency can be disbursed equally to all participants indefined intervals, or the allowances can be proportional to specificcriteria, such as the participant's department, job title, rank,seniority, salary, or earned via attendance, invested time, performanceof tasks, service, support, behavior, and the like. For example, onlyhigh level managers of a company might initially be given currencyunits, which they can then use to reward subordinates. Alternatively, itis possible for no regular allowances to exist, but rather that allparticipants are given a set number of units upon initiation of thesystem (and/or upon joining the organization) and can earn additionalunits through transactions with others. For example, this could be acurrency unit in the closed economy for an enterprise, a community ofpeople, or school.

Currency Exchanges within and across Social Groups, Institutions andEnterprise

In one embodiment of the invention, the mechanisms and methods used tosupport exchange of coworkers within an enterprise are adapted andutilized for the exchange of currency between users in differententerprises, institutions, government agencies, social or politicalgroups, or other communities of interest. In these embodiments, multipleBookkeepers may be used to distribute the functionality of maintaininguser balances, distributing and redeeming the currency units. Likewiseone or more Central Banks may be used to coordinates the activities ofbookkeepers, as well as for account management, and clearinghousefunctions for settling large number of currency exchanges betweenenterprises, for example along the lines of the operations of theAutomated Clearing House (ACH) operated by the Federal Reserve, orsimilar clearinghouse mechanisms (e.g., SWIFT).

One Currency vs. Multiple Measures

In one embodiment, users use one common currency for all exchangeswithin the organization. In another embodiment, multiple measures and/orcurrencies exist, such as a single currency and additional ratingsystems. These additional rating systems can be based on a numericalscale, give people ranks or titles, allow peer awarding ofnon-exchangeable tokens, or be a separate currency. Each measurement canbe used to assign value to different resources and performance. Forexample, it is possible to use one currency to purchase attention,equipment time, and vacation time, while a different rating system isused to rate others on performance, information, value, and to serve asan indicator of feedback. In another embodiment, a separate currency mayexist for usage by a particular group of people or for a particularfocus. However, this currency may also be traded for attentionresources, either directly or by exchanging it into Serios. For example,a currency may be created specifically for users of amazon.com, a largeonline shopping portal. This currency can be earned each time a useraccesses or purchases from the site. It may also be used implicitly topurchase attention because they themselves carry value, or they may betraded for Serios via an established exchange rate.

Sources, Pools, and Drains

The system of the present invention can lead to various currencysources, pools, and drains that can be manipulated to affect the economyin various ways, such as to curb inflation or promote growth. These canbe designed to drive performance and behavior desired by theorganization. Sources are the means by which currency units are injectedinto circulation, and may include a regular allowance or payment forsuccessful completion of a task, project, or activity. Pools describecurrency in circulation, including savings, investments, loans,inventories, rented goods, and the like. Drains are the various means bywhich currency exits from circulation, and may occur via transactions toobtain benefits provided by the organization. For example an employeemay spend 100 currency units to purchase lunch with the CEO, or bid inan auction for a digital music player, and the currency thus exchangedis removed from circulation. Taxes levied on exchanges of currency or onbalances held can also serve as a drain.

Central Bank

In one embodiment, a Central Bank serves as a repository of currencythat is removed from circulation. The Central Bank can serve manytypical banking functions to stabilize the economy, such as injectingcurrency into or retracting currency from the currency supply. Theexistence of a Central Bank may also facilitate additional features suchas reference interest rates for borrowing.

Central Planning and Price Controls vs. Free Market

In one embodiment, increased control is given to the operators of thesystem so they can guide the direction of the economy. They may offerincentives for certain behavior and create blocks or limits or extracost for behavior they deem undesirable. In an alternate, free marketembodiment, a great amount of freedom is given to each individual withrespect to where he or she can spend currency and what prices he or shewill pay. In this system, the interaction between self-interested buyersand sellers is relied upon to regulate interactions in a way that may befavorable to the organization as a whole.

Taxes

In one embodiment, additional fees, maintenance costs, or taxes may beimposed to encourage or discourage various behaviors. For example, taxeson “wealth” may be used to discourage hoarding of currency. Taxes orfees may be charged for sending too many low-cost emails in an attemptto discourage e-mail volume.

Who Keeps Currency

In one embodiment, e-mail recipients 402 keep the currency units thatare attached to messages they receive. This enables the recipients 402to accumulate a balance of currency units, and spend it as they see fit.In an alternative embodiment, recipient 402 does not get credited withthose units to his or her account, but rather the units are subtractedfrom sender 401 and stored in bookkeeper 406, the Central Bank, or someother repository. Recipient 402 may nevertheless choose to return all,some, or even more of those units back to sender 401 from therepository. This design choice allows individuals to send feedback inthe currency without attaching a personal cost.

Reevaluation of Currency

The described invention provides unprecedented liquidity andtransparency to interpersonal transactions. One beneficial effect ofcreating an explicit economy for the resources within an organization isthat it generates discussion among users regarding values andpriorities. When the economy is initiated, individuals will try todetermine how to act within the new framework. This is a positiveeffect, since it amounts to a collective assessment and calibration ofthe organization's assets. In one alternate embodiment, a mechanism isprovided by which one or more properties of the system are changed orrotated on a periodic basis to recreate the effects which are typical tothe new introduction of the system.

Filters

In one embodiment, client 403, 404 is adapted to allow users to setfilters for specific criteria for handling messages. For example, client403, 404 enables users to automatically filter out any message (e-mail,instant message, or voice call) where the number of attached currencyunits is less than an arbitrary number of currency units. Additionally,client 403, 404 can be configured to route and store messages intofolders based on their attached currency value (e.g., to route somemessages to a “High Value” folder for immediate review), as well as toforward, as to a mobile device or PDA or assistant, delete, or otherwiseperform any e-mail based action conditioned upon currency value.

Task-Based Resource Allocation

In one embodiment, currency expenditure can be applied to many resourceswithin an organization. Units of currency can be earned from others orfrom bookkeeper 406 or Central Bank by performing desired work tasks andactivities. Currency can be spent to purchase or use resources such asthe attention or time of other individuals, equipment, data, services,and space. For example, currency may be offered for attendance atmeetings, if an individual attends a helpful training class, or if aperson passes a qualification test. Earning and spending currency maynot be limited to circulation within a single organization, but may tieto outside organizations such as vendors, customers, channel partnersand relate to goods, services, information, and content.

Reputation and Badges

In one embodiment of the invention, users may be rewarded for currencyusage via system attribution, purchase tokens of recognition for others,and purchase tokens for display purposes. These rewards, or badges, arevisible, persistent indicators of achievement and prestige among thecommunity of users. The badges may be automatically awarded or assignedat certain time intervals or by the system after a user achieves somesort of usage milestone. For example, someone who has both sent andreceived 100,000 Serios over their lifetime may earn the “GrandmasterBadge.” In addition, badges may be purchased by individuals to give toother individuals as a reward or feedback indicator. In this case, thegiver of the badge is also of importance. For example, if the CEO of thecompany purchases a “Project Leader Badge” for a junior associate, itcontains a great deal of information to anyone who views it. Finally,certain badges may be for display only, and can be earned or purchasedto convey information only. For example, an individual may choose topurchase a “Golden Retriever Badge” to display on a personal profile forvisual purposes, to express to others that they like dogs, or just forfun.

User-Determined Rewards

Users can take advantage of the flexibility of this system to rewardcurrency units to others for desired behavior. In particular, users candefine currency reward functions to attach to their messages. Thesefunctions provide a varying amount of currency to one or more recipients402 based on variously defined response or action criteria. For example,users can create incentives to managers, peers, or subordinates forresponding to time-sensitive requests by offering a specified currencyreward function, such that if recipient 402(s) reply within in two hoursthey receive X units of currency, but if they reply within one hour theyreceive 2× units. Similarly, a sender 401 may choose to reward only thefirst responder, the best problem solver, or someone with the mostuseful information with bonus amount of currency. The Bookkeeper 406administrator can keep track of these currency reward functions and anyother private treaty exchanges. Client 403, 404 in this embodiment isadapted to provide a user interface by which the user can define thecurrency reward function, e.g., using menus and fields, or via aprogrammatic interface.

User-Created Markets

In one embodiment, the present invention is used for purchasingattention in connection with web-based content. Users can createpersonalized revenue-driven web pages, blogs, or other content stationsthat peers and colleagues may access. Individuals may host or providepersonally created content, and charge a currency fee for access to saidcontent if they desire. In addition, individuals may post tasks orprojects and allow other users to bid on opportunities with currency. Inthis way, individuals may buy and sell goods, services, and informationto earn revenue.

Visibility and Transparency

In one embodiment, the transactions and balances of all users are madepublicly viewable. This data can be used to measure progress andperformance, and reflect reputation. Similarly, it can be possible tomake only certain transaction and balance information transparent. Inanother embodiment, any or all of such information is hidden from users.

Workflow Management

In another aspect of the invention, the artificial currency is used as amechanism to enhance workflow management systems. Typically workflowmanagement systems are used to assign tasks to individuals and groups,and monitor and report on the execution and status of such tasks. Tasksare typically associated with priority values by the system or otherusers (e.g., managers). An embodiment of the present invention enhancesa workflow management system by configuring and adapting the workflowmanagement system to include with a task a number of currency units bywhich the task is valued for execution. This enables the first user todecide the levels of incentive appropriate for task completion byanother user. Thus, tasks that are considered important by a manager,can be assigned with a significant number of currency units. Thecurrency units can be assigned for different levels of task completion(e.g., N currency units for completion of some M percentage or steps ofa task or project). The Bookkeeper 406 exports an interface by which theworkflow management system can notify it of task completion or status soas the enable bookkeeper 406 to update users' accounts based on taskstatus and performance.

The provision of currency integration with workflow management can befurther extended to interoperation with system or machine based tasks.Thus, in one embodiment, the artificial currency can be attached totasks assigned by a user to a machine or system. For example, a systemoperator can attach some number of currency units to a task to beexecuted by a computer system (e.g., a database operation, a codecompilation task, a manufacturing task), by a manufacturing system(e.g., a milling operation, a chemical conversion process, or a roboticoperation), or the like. Here the receptive system is configured andadapted to schedule and prioritize a task execution queue based at leastin part on the number of currency units associated with each of itstasks. Furthermore, the artificial currency can be attached to tasksassigned by one machine or system to a user, or assigned by one machine(or system) to another machine (or system). These various approachesprovide a unified environment in which users and machines utilize acommon currency to determine the significance and importance of tasksand provide feedback for either human or machine learning foroptimization. In these approaches, the various currency-enabled machinesand systems have access to one or more bookkeepers by which they canreport the amounts of currency received for tasks, or required forassignment of tasks.

Anonymity and Non-Intrusion

In one embodiment, certain transactions may be allowed in which sender401 remains anonymous to recipient 402 and/or the community. Thisfeature may be enabled to permit feedback which would be uncoupled orprotected from explicit or implicit quid pro quo arrangements or abuseof a supervisor's authority to extract currency from subordinates. Inanother embodiment, anonymity may be “purchased” at some cost to sender401 for a specific transaction.

A correlate of anonymity is non-intrusion, by which a recipient 402 doesnot need to use any attention in order to receive some number of unitsof artificial currency from another. In other words, a sender 401 maygive or grant another user a number of units of currency, withoutrecipient 402 being notified in a manner that consumes that recipient's402 attention. Instead, the granted currency units can be automaticallyadded to the recipient's 402 balance. One implementation of this featureis provided by the use of special “bookkeeping” messages to bookkeeper406. These bookkeeping messages are sent directly to bookkeeper 406 (ora delegate), and identify a transaction type (e.g., deposit), an amount(e.g., 100 Serios), a source account (e.g., sender 401) and a targetaccount (e.g., recipient 402). Additional flags or parameters can beestablished for the message, such as whether or not to notify recipient402 of the transaction, whether the transaction is anonymous (e.g., notdisclosing sender 401), or delaying the transaction to a specified dateor event. An implementation of the bookkeeping messages can be providedby a user interface including buttons and/menus for defining thetransaction characteristic and parameters described above.Alternatively, the transaction can be defined using a command or messagelanguage (e.g., name-value pairs).

Document Access Fee

In one embodiment, access to documents in the organization costs theuser a document access fee in units of the currency. In one embodiment,the amount of this fee is small enough not to be a barrier to access. Inanother embodiment, pricing is established via a continuous auction forinformation access. The original author(s) of the document receives allor a portion of that fee. Thus the incentive is to write valuabledocuments that are accessed by many individuals. Conversely, users areable to quickly and easily see and rank documents in order of the timesthey have been accessed, which can help them quickly determine the mostvaluable documents for particular needs. In this embodiment, bookkeeper406 cooperates with a document management system that stores andretrieves the documents. The document management system includesdocument profiles for each document, which can include a field that canstore a currency amount (the field can be left empty of the document isconsidered to be free). The Bookkeeper 406 provides an interface bywhich the document management system can notify it of document accessesso as to update the account balance of an accessing user for payment ofthe document access fee.

Engineered or Emergent Behavior

It is possible to design the system to drive specific behaviors, or toallow users to define their own behavior. For example, in one embodimentit is conceivable that participants can click a “Complaint” button toreport someone who is disagreeable and difficult to work with. Becausethis feature is programmed into the functionality of the system, itpolices disruptive behavior. In an alternative embodiment thatexemplifies emergent behavior, no “Complaint” button exists, but theparticipants may socially mark that individual as troublesome, and givehim or her low feedback or refuse to exchange currency units with them.

Collaborative Metrics

In one embodiment, the raw data from worker-to-worker currency exchangescan be displayed as a dynamic, multi-dimensional, multi-directionalgraph of collaborative activity. The graph can display each worker as anode in a network, with the proximity of nodes and strength of tiesbetween nodes determined by the frequency and amount of units exchanged.The raw data for network determination will be the worker-by-workeraccount matrix, where cell entries represent exchanges for all possiblepairs of workers. Clusters of collaborative groups, based on empiricaldata related to actual communicative activity rather than formallyassigned groups, can be represented graphically with use of color codingand visual clustering techniques. The graph can change over time inincrements and will constitute a dynamic representation of collaborativeactivity based on perceived value of information exchanges. The networkactivity graphs can be produced for selected groups within the largereconomy or for special subgroups determined by game masters or theworkers themselves. Collaborative clusters, and their structural changesover time, are readily apparent and can be used to reinforce or redirectorganizational assets. In addition, the information from graphicalrepresentation of collaboration can be used to design and engineerentertaining activities, games, scenarios, and/or narratives to drivespecific behavior or performance patterns.

Alternative Enterprises, Organizations and Groups

In addition to enterprises such as business corporations, the presentinvention could provide benefits for collaboration among participants ingovernment and non-profit organizations, educational institutions,informal clubs and associations, families, and military or civiliancommand-and-control structures. The present invention will benefitcircumstances where there is time urgency for attention to messages,changes in priorities, feedback delivery, and team coordination. In oneembodiment, a single common currency is managed to provide stable andpredictable unit of exchange to users across a variety of enterprises,organizations, and groups. In an alternative embodiment, multiplecurrencies are managed and a mechanism for currency exchange isprovided.

Team Activities and Economic Behavior

In one embodiment, the present invention further includes tools,mechanisms, and incentives that allow people to work togethercooperatively and receive team rewards. Users may pool resources toachieve certain goals, or share in and mete out the rewards. Groupactivities may involve a variant set of tools and recordings to supportmultiple users. In one embodiment, individual interests in the currencymay be aggregated to form corporations with defined ownership interestsand the right to earn and pay currency. In this embodiment, bookkeeper406 is adapted to enable user to set up pooled accounts, currencydistribution, and resource pricing functions.

Feedback on Multiple Time Scales

In one embodiment, the system of the present invention provides feedbackto users on multiple time scale loops to reinforce desired behavior anddiscourage undesired behavior. These time scales can range from veryfast, immediate feedback recurring every few seconds, to extremely longfeedback cycles that take months or even years. Feedback serves toreinforce and drive desired behavior, and can deliver to participantsassets that enrich or empower their user experience.

Medium of Exchange

In one embodiment, credit cards, money orders, stored value cards,checks, and/or other money management tools are issued in units of theartificial currency, in order to facilitate exchange of currency unitsby participants.

Users can exchange currency units by means of electronic devices otherthan a computer or through a local area network. In one extension, aportable version of bookkeeper 406 software allows real time wirelesstransactions between individuals who are using handheld devices, cellphones, audio devices, and other portable electronics. Communication maybe based on peer-to-peer architecture rather than through a centralserver. Encryption can be used in the transfer and store of currency.

Credit

In some embodiments, users are permitted to borrow units of currencyfrom each other, via private transactions, or from bookkeeper 406 orCentral Bank. Provision for interest and enforcement of default areenabled in the Central Bank.

Stock Markets

In one embodiment, currency may also be used by individuals in aninternal futures market, where individuals may trade currency for sharesof stock representing future performance of organization products,services, or resources. The currency may also be exchanged directly withofficial, established currency such as the United States dollar or theChinese ren min bi. A mechanism for exchanging such currency may bebuilt into the administrative functions of bookkeeper 406, or exist inan adjacent or compatible way with the Bookkeeping system.

Internal Social Networks

In one embodiment, the currency stream can form the backbone for aninternal social networking website or application. The website orapplication can have such features as, but not limited to, the abilityto create a personal profile, link to friends, view other users'profiles, leave messages, form groups, schedule events, view a networkvisualization of who you are linked to, post pictures, search for users,create blogs, instant message, contact one another, or find individualsinside or outside the organization with certain skill sets, experiences,backgrounds, interests, etc. Communication and incentive structures arebased largely upon currency usage. For example, a user may be able toearn access to certain groups based on a positive currency tradebalance.

External Social Networks

In one embodiment, external social networking websites and applicationsmay integrate currency data into existing features, or use attentioncurrency to drive behavior or accomplish certain goals. More advancedattention economy exchange capabilities and analysis can be enabled byintegrating the currency into the regular tools and activities availableon these external websites and applications.

Currency-Driven Personality or Behavior Profiling

Data about individual transactions in the economy may be used todetermine personalities of the users. This information may be reportedto the users as feedback about their exchanges and their role in anetwork and, if agreed to by the participants, it may be reported tothird parties (e.g., management, organizational researchers, humanresources) as information that identifies how the individual contributesto the organization. The data may be reported numerically (scores onpersonality dimensions), categorically (naming which of severalpersonality descriptors apply) or pictorially, including facialexpressions that depict different personalities or other icons andobjects that represent different personality categories.

Personality is defined according to the social psychological literatureabout dimensions or factors that constitute the basic traits of socialinteraction. One collection of traits is known in social psychology asthe “Big 5” and includes extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness,neuroticism, and openness. Accordingly, in one embodiment, bookkeeper406 is adapted to tabulate and monitor currency exchanges in relation tothe definition of each personality category. For example, extraversionis characterized by a willingness to initiate an interaction.Introversion, the opposite value on this dimension, is characterized bya greater frequency of responses to interactions initiated by others. Inthis embodiment bookkeeper 406 tabulates a ratio of the number of timescurrency exchanges are initiated by the user in relation to exchangeswhere users are responders to others. The data from this calculationdetermines the value for the extraversion factor and it may be displayedin numerical or visual forms to users and third parties. A secondexample is agreeableness. One attribute of this dimension is the amountof negative feedback that an individual gives during an interaction. Inthis embodiment, an agreeableness factor is be determined by tabulatingthe number of times users return less currency than they receive in amessage thread.

Synthetic Worlds

In one embodiment, the present invention provides elaborated game play,including for example the ability to trade currency for game assets in avirtual world. Workers can select avatars that represent themselves inthe economy (e.g., choice of characters, clothing, appearance, andcustomized accessories), and can then access avatars of other workers(e.g., opportunities for virtual meetings with other avatars, virtualsocial events, and exploration of virtual spaces where specializedactivities occur), and objects that facilitate communication with otherteam members (e.g., the opportunity to store shared documents andexchange files within the narrative of the virtual world). Benefits ofthe virtual world and assets accumulated within the world include theability to increase the level of playful, immersive interaction, toprovide feedback and assets that reinforce behavior and empowerparticipants to improve performance, and to offer opportunities forworkers to acquire game artifacts that facilitate and increase theirability to acquire currency in the e-mail attention economy (thepreferred embodiment).

A companion virtual world can serve as the location for expandedindividual game play and collaborative activity via avatars and visualtwo- and three-dimensional interfaces. The virtual worlds may becustomized fantasy narratives (e.g., space travel, medieval feudalfighting, sports competition), or real-world narratives from the actualplaces where the e-mail attention economy is functioning (e.g., marketcompetition between companies, teams competing within organizations tosolve problems). All narratives, regardless of the specific back storiesfor the interactions, can share the same underlying features andaffordances, and will be mapped to a common set of game components,including such ideas as feedback, assets, collaboration, markets, andavatars.

Within the virtual world, game masters may announce quests whereparticipants are offered currency rewards (as well as level andexperience recognition) for solving posted problems. The quests can bein-game fantasy adventures (e.g., using the collective expertise ofseveral workers to find or build objects in the virtual world) or theycan be real enterprise problems that are solved within a compellingvirtual space that offers opportunities for conferencing using personalavatars, sharing assets, communicating, and rewarding workers inrelation to their contributions on the quests.

In some embodiments, other features of the virtual world include anauction where workers can post and bid on digital objects in the world,compelling visual displays of game currency including accumulations overtime and comparisons to other workers, and a futures market whereworkers may invest currency gained in the e-mail game in ideas proposedand posted by other workers or the game master.

CONCLUSION

The present invention provides many advantages that improve efficiencyand assist in navigating large amounts of incoming communication andinformation. The following are some examples of specific advantagesprovided by the invention.

Too Much Information Becomes Filtered, Relevant Information:

By attributing a cost to certain actions and resources, relativescarcity is enforced. Consequently, individuals are forced to limitconsumption and budget personal assets to acquire the things that reallymatter to them. Some of the expected results include a decrease in thevolume of unimportant messages, an increase in valuable communicationand feedback, the ability to identify priority items, and bettercollaboration due to a deeper understanding of team members' priorities.

Meaningless Priority Signals Become Meaningful Priority Signals:

Marking communication with currency that is itself a valuable and scarceresource signifies to recipient 402 that sender 401 has vested interestin the message's delivery and reception. In addition, the currencysupports an immediate feedback system because recipients 402 may respondto senders 401 with attached currency.

Organizational Resource Allocation Problem Becomes Accurate Allocationof Resource Value:

Bookkeeper 406 records currency transactions within the organization.The statistical analysis on transaction data can include detailedinformation on volume and trade balance, thus allowing users,administrators, and other individuals to clearly see how and where theyfocus energy and attention. When this data is transparent to all userswithin an organization, it allows users to view and subsequentlyregulate their own behavior in comparison to others. When currency isbeing spent on organization resources such as time, tools, space, anddata, it is possible to identify areas of high and low value becauseindividual designations are aggregated to determine the price of goodsand services. The present invention thus encourages individualpreferences to establish a collective consensus via bookkeeper's 406analysis. With the attention economy, users may quickly and easily setmacro and micro views of resource allocation within an organization, andmake meaningful conclusions that can help improve productivity andefficiency.

1. A method for sending a message with an attention economy currency,comprising: receiving an indication from a sender of a messagespecifying a quantity of an attention economy currency to spend;deducting the specified quantity of the attention economy currency froman attention economy currency account associated with the sender;transmitting the message to a recipient specified by the sender;indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency; and responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been received by the recipient, crediting the specifiedquantity to an attention economy currency account associated with therecipient.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises ane-mail message.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sender specifiesthe quantity of the attention economy currency to spend by providinginput to an e-mail client application.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe message comprises an instant message.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the message comprises at least one selected from the groupconsisting of: an SMS message; a telephone message; a Voice OverInternet Protocol message; a fax message; a web-based mail message; amessage board message; a forum message; an Internet Relay Chat message;a website-enabled instant chat message; a direct mobile device to mobiledevice message; a direct machine-to-machine message; a papercorrespondence message; a platform or browser enabled message; aface-to-face correspondence; an interaction within a virtualenvironment; and an interaction within an electronic game, board game,or live action game.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingsending a message to a bookkeeper; and wherein deducting the specifiedquantity is performed by the bookkeeper.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the bookkeeper comprises an automated software process.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the message is addressed to a group ofrecipients, and wherein: deducting the specified quantity comprisesdeducting the specified quantity for each recipient in the group.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the attention economy currency is usable forpurchasing at least one of resources, items, benefits and perquisites.10. A method for sending a message with an attention economy currency,comprising: receiving an indication from a sender of a messagespecifying a quantity of an attention economy currency to spend;deducting the specified quantity of the attention economy currency froman attention economy currency account associated with the sender;transmitting the message to a recipient specified by the sender;indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency; and responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been read by the recipient, crediting the specified quantityto an attention economy currency account associated with the recipient.11. A method for sending a message with an attention economy currency,comprising: receiving an indication from a sender of a messagespecifying a quantity of an attention economy currency to spend;deducting the specified quantity of the attention economy currency froman attention economy currency account associated with the sender;transmitting the message to a recipient specified by the sender;indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency; and responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been opened by the recipient, crediting the specifiedquantity to an attention economy currency account associated with therecipient.
 12. A method for sending a message with an attention economycurrency, comprising: receiving an indication from a sender of a messagespecifying a quantity of an attention economy currency to spend;deducting the specified quantity of the attention economy currency froman attention economy currency account associated with the sender;transmitting the message to a recipient specified by the sender;indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency; responsive to receiving an indication that the messagehas been received by the recipient, crediting a first portion of thespecified quantity to an attention economy currency account associatedwith the recipient; and responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been read by the recipient, crediting a second portion ofthe specified quantity to an attention economy currency accountassociated with the recipient.
 13. A method for sending a message withan attention economy currency, comprising: receiving an indication froma sender of a message specifying a quantity of an attention economycurrency to spend; deducting the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency from an attention economy currency account associatedwith the sender; transmitting the message to a recipient specified bythe sender; indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of theattention economy currency; responsive to receiving an indication thatthe message has been received by the recipient, crediting a firstportion of the specified quantity to an attention economy currencyaccount associated with the recipient; and responsive to receiving anindication that the message has been opened by the recipient, creditinga second portion of the specified quantity to an attention economycurrency account associated with the recipient.
 14. A method for sendinga message with an attention economy currency, comprising: receiving anindication from a sender of a message specifying a quantity of anattention economy currency to spend; deducting the specified quantity ofthe attention economy currency from an attention economy currencyaccount associated with the sender; transmitting the message to arecipient specified by the sender; indicating to the recipient thespecified quantity of the attention economy currency; and responsive toreceiving an indication that the message has been received by therecipient, crediting the specified quantity to a central repository ofthe attention economy currency.
 15. A method for sending a message withan attention economy currency, comprising: receiving an indication froma sender of a message specifying a quantity of an attention economycurrency to spend; deducting the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency from an attention economy currency account associatedwith the sender; transmitting the message to a recipient specified bythe sender; indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of theattention economy currency; and responsive to an instruction receivedfrom the recipient of the message, returning a portion of the deductedattention economy currency to the account associated with the sender.16. A method for sending a message with an attention economy currency,wherein the message is addressed to at least two recipients, comprising:receiving an indication from a sender of a message specifying a quantityof an attention economy currency to spend for each recipient; deductingthe specified quantity of the attention economy currency from anattention economy currency account associated with the sender;transmitting the message to each recipient; indicating to each recipientthe specified quantity of the attention economy currency.
 17. The methodof claim 16, wherein the specified quantity of the attention economycurrency for a first recipient is different from the specified quantityof the attention economy currency for a second recipient.
 18. A systemfor sending a message with an attention economy currency, comprising: afirst client for receiving sender input for a message, including messagecontent, at least one message recipient, and a quantity of an attentioneconomy currency to spend for at least one recipient; a server forrouting the message; a bookkeeper, communicatively coupled to theserver, for deducting the specified quantity of the attention economycurrency from an attention economy currency account associated with thesender; and a second client, for receiving the message from the serverand for displaying the message and an indication of the specifiedquantity of the attention economy currency; wherein, responsive toreceiving an indication that the message has been received by therecipient, the bookkeeper credits the specified quantity to an attentioneconomy currency account associated with the recipient.
 19. The systemof claim 18, wherein: the message comprises an e-mail message; the firstclient comprises a first e-mail client; the second client comprises asecond e-mail client; and the server comprises an e-mail server.
 20. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the message comprises an instant message.21. The system of claim 18, wherein the message comprises at least oneselected from the group consisting of: an SMS message; a telephonemessage; a Voice Over Internet Protocol message; a fax message; aweb-based mail message; a message board message; a forum message; anInternet Relay Chat message; a website-enabled instant chat message; adirect mobile device to mobile device message; a directmachine-to-machine message; a paper correspondence message; a platformor browser enabled message; a face-to-face correspondence; aninteraction within a virtual environment; and an interaction within anelectronic game, board game, or live action game.
 22. The system ofclaim 18, wherein the server sends a message to the bookkeeperindicating the quantity of the attention economy currency to be deductedfrom the attention economy currency account associated with the sender.23. The system of claim 22, wherein the bookkeeper comprises anautomated software process.
 24. The system of claim 18, wherein themessage is addressed to a group of recipients, and wherein: thebookkeeper deducts the specified quantity comprises deducting thespecified quantity for each recipient in the group.
 25. The system ofclaim 18, wherein the attention economy currency is usable forpurchasing at least one of resources, items, benefits and perquisites.26. A system for sending a message with an attention economy currency,comprising: a first client for receiving sender input for a message,including message content, at least one message recipient, and aquantity of an attention economy currency to spend for at least onerecipient; a server for routing the message; a bookkeeper,communicatively coupled to the server, for deducting the specifiedquantity of the attention economy currency from an attention economycurrency account associated with the sender; and a second client, forreceiving the message from the server and for displaying the message andan indication of the specified quantity of the attention economycurrency; wherein, responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been read by the recipient, the bookkeeper credits thespecified quantity to an attention economy currency account associatedwith the recipient.
 27. A system for sending a message with an attentioneconomy currency, comprising: a first client for receiving sender inputfor a message, including message content, at least one messagerecipient, and a quantity of an attention economy currency to spend forat least one recipient; a server for routing the message; a bookkeeper,communicatively coupled to the server, for deducting the specifiedquantity of the attention economy currency from an attention economycurrency account associated with the sender; and a second client, forreceiving the message from the server and for displaying the message andan indication of the specified quantity of the attention economycurrency; wherein, responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been opened by the recipient, the bookkeeper credits thespecified quantity to an attention economy currency account associatedwith the recipient.
 28. A system for sending a message with an attentioneconomy currency, comprising: a first client for receiving sender inputfor a message, including message content, at least one messagerecipient, and a quantity of an attention economy currency to spend forat least one recipient; a server for routing the message; a bookkeeper,communicatively coupled to the server, for deducting the specifiedquantity of the attention economy currency from an attention economycurrency account associated with the sender; and a second client, forreceiving the message from the server and for displaying the message andan indication of the specified quantity of the attention economycurrency; wherein: responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been received by the recipient, the bookkeeper credits afirst portion of the specified quantity to an attention economy currencyaccount associated with the recipient; and responsive to receiving anindication that the message has been read by the recipient, thebookkeeper credits a second portion of the specified quantity to anattention economy currency account associated with the recipient.
 29. Asystem for sending a message with an attention economy currency,comprising: a first client for receiving sender input for a message,including message content, at least one message recipient, and aquantity of an attention economy currency to spend for at least onerecipient; a server for routing the message; a bookkeeper,communicatively coupled to the server, for deducting the specifiedquantity of the attention economy currency from an attention economycurrency account associated with the sender; and a second client, forreceiving the message from the server and for displaying the message andan indication of the specified quantity of the attention economycurrency; wherein: responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been received by the recipient, the bookkeeper credits afirst portion of the specified quantity to an attention economy currencyaccount associated with the recipient; and responsive to receiving anindication that the message has been opened by the recipient, thebookkeeper credits a second portion of the specified quantity to anattention economy currency account associated with the recipient.
 30. Asystem for sending a message with an attention economy currency,comprising: a first client for receiving sender input for a message,including message content, at least one message recipient, and aquantity of an attention economy currency to spend for at least onerecipient; a server for routing the message; a bookkeeper,communicatively coupled to the server, for deducting the specifiedquantity of the attention economy currency from an attention economycurrency account associated with the sender; a second client, forreceiving the message from the server and for displaying the message andan indication of the specified quantity of the attention economycurrency; and a central repository of the attention economy currency;wherein, responsive to receiving an indication that the message has beenreceived by the recipient, the bookkeeper credits the specified quantityto the central repository.
 31. A system for sending a message with anattention economy currency, comprising: a first client for receivingsender input for a message, including message content, at least onemessage recipient, and a quantity of an attention economy currency tospend for at least one recipient; a server for routing the message; abookkeeper, communicatively coupled to the server, for deducting thespecified quantity of the attention economy currency from an attentioneconomy currency account associated with the sender; and a secondclient, for receiving the message from the server and for displaying themessage and an indication of the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency; wherein, responsive to an instruction received fromthe recipient of the message, the bookkeeper returns a portion of thededucted attention economy currency to the account associated with thesender.
 32. A computer program product for sending a message with anattention economy currency, comprising: a computer-readable medium; andcomputer program code, encoded on the medium, for: receiving anindication from a sender of a message specifying a quantity of anattention economy currency to spend; deducting the specified quantity ofthe attention economy currency from an attention economy currencyaccount associated with the sender; transmitting the message to arecipient specified by the sender; indicating to the recipient thespecified quantity of the attention economy currency; and responsive toreceiving an indication that the message has been received by therecipient, crediting the specified quantity to an attention economycurrency account associated with the recipient.
 33. The computer programproduct of claim 32, wherein the message comprises an e-mail message.34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the senderspecifies the quantity of the attention economy currency to spend byproviding input to an e-mail client application.
 35. The computerprogram product of claim 32, wherein the message comprises an instantmessage.
 36. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein themessage comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of: anSMS message; a telephone message; a Voice Over Internet Protocolmessage; a fax message; a web-based mail message; a message boardmessage; a forum message; an Internet Relay Chat message; awebsite-enabled instant chat message; a direct mobile device to mobiledevice message; a direct machine-to-machine message; a papercorrespondence message; a platform or browser enabled message; aface-to-face correspondence; an interaction within a virtualenvironment; and an interaction within an electronic game, board game,or live action game.
 37. The computer program product of claim 32,wherein the message is addressed to at least two recipients, andwherein: the computer program code for receiving the indication from thesender comprises computer program code for receiving an indication froma sender specifying a quantity of an attention economy currency to spendfor each recipient; and the computer program code for transmitting themessage comprises computer program code for transmitting the message toeach recipient.
 38. The computer program product of claim 37, whereinthe specified quantity of the attention economy currency for a firstrecipient is different from the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency for a second recipient.
 39. The computer programproduct of claim 32, further comprising computer program code forsending a message to a bookkeeper; and wherein deducting the specifiedquantity is performed by the bookkeeper.
 40. The computer programproduct of claim 39, wherein the bookkeeper comprises an automatedsoftware process.
 41. The computer program product of claim 32, whereinthe message is addressed to a group of recipients, and wherein: thecomputer program code for deducting the specified quantity comprisescomputer program code for deducting the specified quantity for eachrecipient in the group.
 42. The computer program product of claim 32,wherein the attention economy currency is usable for purchasing at leastone of resources, items, benefits and perquisites.
 43. A computerprogram product for sending a message with an attention economycurrency, comprising: a computer-readable medium; and computer programcode, encoded on the medium, for: receiving an indication from a senderof a message specifying a quantity of an attention economy currency tospend; deducting the specified quantity of the attention economycurrency from an attention economy currency account associated with thesender; transmitting the message to a recipient specified by the sender;indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency; and responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been read by the recipient, crediting the specified quantityto an attention economy currency account associated with the recipient.44. A computer program product for sending a message with an attentioneconomy currency, comprising: a computer-readable medium; and computerprogram code, encoded on the medium, for: receiving an indication from asender of a message specifying a quantity of an attention economycurrency to spend; deducting the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency from an attention economy currency account associatedwith the sender; transmitting the message to a recipient specified bythe sender; indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of theattention economy currency; and responsive to receiving an indicationthat the message has been opened by the recipient, crediting thespecified quantity to an attention economy currency account associatedwith the recipient.
 45. A computer program product for sending a messagewith an attention economy currency, comprising: a computer-readablemedium; and computer program code, encoded on the medium, for: receivingan indication from a sender of a message specifying a quantity of anattention economy currency to spend; deducting the specified quantity ofthe attention economy currency from an attention economy currencyaccount associated with the sender; transmitting the message to arecipient specified by the sender; indicating to the recipient thespecified quantity of the attention economy currency; responsive toreceiving an indication that the message has been received by therecipient, crediting a first portion of the specified quantity to anattention economy currency account associated with the recipient; andresponsive to receiving an indication that the message has been read bythe recipient, crediting a second portion of the specified quantity toan attention economy currency account associated with the recipient. 46.A computer program product for sending a message with an attentioneconomy currency, comprising: a computer-readable medium; and computerprogram code, encoded on the medium, for: receiving an indication from asender of a message specifying a quantity of an attention economycurrency to spend; deducting the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency from an attention economy currency account associatedwith the sender; transmitting the message to a recipient specified bythe sender; indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of theattention economy currency; responsive to receiving an indication thatthe message has been received by the recipient, crediting a firstportion of the specified quantity to an attention economy currencyaccount associated with the recipient; and responsive to receiving anindication that the message has been opened by the recipient, creditinga second portion of the specified quantity to an attention economycurrency account associated with the recipient.
 47. A computer programproduct for sending a message with an attention economy currency,comprising: a computer-readable medium; and computer program code,encoded on the medium, for: receiving an indication from a sender of amessage specifying a quantity of an attention economy currency to spend;deducting the specified quantity of the attention economy currency froman attention economy currency account associated with the sender;transmitting the message to a recipient specified by the sender;indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency; and responsive to receiving an indication that themessage has been received by the recipient, crediting the specifiedquantity to a central repository of the attention economy currency. 48.A computer program product for sending a message with an attentioneconomy currency, comprising: a computer-readable medium; and computerprogram code, encoded on the medium, for: receiving an indication from asender of a message specifying a quantity of an attention economycurrency to spend; deducting the specified quantity of the attentioneconomy currency from an attention economy currency account associatedwith the sender; transmitting the message to a recipient specified bythe sender; indicating to the recipient the specified quantity of theattention economy currency; and responsive to an instruction receivedfrom the recipient of the message, returning a portion of the deductedattention economy currency to the account associated with the sender.